When Luka Modric left Tottenham Hotspur last summer, Spurs took great pains to ensure he did not end up at a Premier League club like Manchester United or Chelsea, with the latter reportedly being turned down despite bidding more than Real Madrid for the Croatian.

However Spurs might just have delayed the move, with Modric being linked with a return to England after a disappointing first season in Spain.

Chelsea and Manchester United are again at the forefront of English interest in Modric, with Jose Mourinho considering bringing the Croatian with him from Madrid despite not getting the best from him this season, and David Moyes apparently keen to address his new team’s lack of depth in the middle of the park.

But which team would be best for Modric, who will be desperate to nail down a starting place after his frustrating time in Madrid?

At Chelsea, he would have a manager he had worked with before, and Mourinho is clearly a fan of his talent, spending £30million on him last year and seemingly willing to splash out again.

Chelsea are not lacking in attacking midfield options, and the Portuguese manager might be planning to play Modric as one of the two central midfielders behind the attack. In this position he would probably be competing with Ramires and Frank Lampard, whilst further up the pitch he would be up against the irrepressible Juan Mata.

At Manchester United, Modric would likely slot in alongside Michael Carrick in the midfield, and would surely be more certain of a starting place given the relative paucity of Moyes’ options.

However this would not create a particularly dominant partnership, and Marouane Fellaini might be Moyes’ option if he wants to add some physicality to the team. In this case Modric might be pushed forward if he signs, competing with Shinji Kagawa for the attacking midfield slot.

Clearly at all top sides Modric will have to compete with quality players in every position, and he has the ability to nail down a starting place at either Manchester United or Chelsea. However if Mourinho is keen to sign him again, the Portuguese manager must have a plan for Modric, and it could be that Chelsea finally get their man.

Nick Harris

I'm Nick Harris, Spurs fan and sports writer. Alongside HITC, I'm the founder, editor, writer, and fan of footballspirals.com and can be found on Twitter - @nicksharris. When I'm not watching sport I'm usually drinking coffee and checking updates on my phone in an antisocial manner.